"What a powerful aura, this must be Blood Hand Columbus!"
Bai Pu was somewhat astonished. No wonder the Spirit Realm Will initially rated this mission as S-level difficulty!
If Duke William didn't participate in the battle, it wouldn't be possible to crush the enemy like this. Bai Pu would have to think of every possible way to unite the militia from all local villages, lure away most of the soldiers near Blood Hand Columbus, and then lead Qin, Yvette, and others in an assault on Columbus.
The difficulty of this can be imagined, and the time required would be long and arduous. Just integrating the Branden militia from the villages alone would take unknown days. To complete this mission within ten days, the hope was indeed slim.
[Countdown to the Poison Thorn Squad's arrival in this plane: 25 hours 52 minutes 07 seconds.]
Bai Pu glanced at the countdown again, not forgetting this biggest X factor—if Duke William didn't join the battle, Bai Pu would have to be extra cautious of the Poison Thorn Squad causing trouble during the main mission! Success would then be even more impossible.
Duke William walked forward slowly, his composed demeanor sharply contrasting with the ferocious roaring of Blood Hand Columbus.
"My lord Duke! I suggest capturing him alive!" Bai Pu said loudly.
"Is that necessary?" Duke William asked, slightly startled, turning his head.
If Bai Pu hadn't gained his affection, Duke William wouldn't have bothered to ask further, treating Bai Pu's suggestion as nothing more than nonsense.
Qin hesitated for a moment and said, "I also think it's necessary. Currently, we lack sufficiently high-end research specimens of the Blood Ring mutants."
"Alright then." Duke William nodded slightly.
Blood Hand Columbus listened to the group casually discussing his fate as if he were a lamb to the slaughter, anger welling up in his heart! He suddenly leaped up, his giant axe enveloped with blood-red light, striking down forcefully.
Duke William slightly sidestepped, dodging the strike. With a crack, the blood-colored Qi Force left a massive crack in the hardwood deck, scattering splinters and rivets everywhere.
This destructive power made Bai Pu's eye twitch.
Duke William's face remained unchanged. He drew his falcon-engraved sword again, and swiftly struck three times!
The first strike severed Blood Hand Columbus's axe-wielding arm.
The next two strikes pierced through Columbus's left and right kneecaps!
Thick black blood splattered all over the deck; Blood Hand Columbus roared in fury and agony, but his body collapsed feebly.
Although Blood Hand Columbus was strong, he was just a commander of the Blood Ring Vanguard Army, equivalent to the first stage BOSS in a game, incomparable to Duke William, the overall BOSS of the faction.
Cwieg's Adjutant stepped forward and bound him with chains from a ship's anchor.
Qin took out a sharp feather tube and administered a "shot" to Blood Hand Columbus, whose roaring quickly ceased, leaving him like a wounded beast, fading into unconsciousness.
"Now, the failure of the Blood Ring Vanguard Army should serve as a stern warning to Gustav II. He won't dispatch troops across the Baltic Sea again anytime soon."
Duke William mounted his horse, "Mr. Cwieg, please stay on the front lines to prepare for the war against the Blood Ring. Mr. Jialan and I need to return to Brandonburg to gather the Imperial Electors and Lords for a meeting, assembling the army. Lady Qin, would you like to return with me?"
Qin shook her head, smiling, "I have obtained an excellent specimen and plan to stay here for research."
The group burst into laughter, assuming Qin was referring to Blood Hand Columbus.
However, Qin secretly winked at Bai Pu.
This small gesture went unnoticed by others but was seen by Yvette. She raised her small hand, "I want to stay too..."
"Lady Yvette, I understand your desire for combat and to rescue the Queen." Duke William shook his head and refused, "But I'm sorry, for the upcoming Imperial Lords meeting, I need you, the person most knowledgeable about the Blood Ring Fortress, to attend, proving to the Electors and Lords the immense threat of the Blood Ring."
"..." Yvette was speechless, forced to accept the arrangement.
...
Stettin Town, Qin's temporary research lab.
On the experiment table, the unconscious Blood Hand Columbus was firmly bound with chains, and specially sharpened iron hooks at the chain ends pierced through his shoulder bones, immobilizing him.
"Lady Qin... thank you for speaking up to help." Bai Pu said.
"You don't need to use such polite terms with me, Dior," Qin replied with a smile, "Besides, I didn't deceive everyone. I indeed acquired a high-end specimen."
Bai Pu replied, "Seems like the specimen you're referring to is me."
"Indeed." Qin blinked, with a touch of charm, "In exchange, you can handle Columbus however you wish. Whatever you plan to do with his life, I won't interfere."
Bai Pu thought to himself, never underestimate the wisdom of the natives, Qin clearly saw through the ulterior motive in suggesting capturing Columbus alive. Although her affection for him had reached the 'Heartbeat' level, she still maintained a clear mind.
"I agree to cooperate with your experiment, as long as it won't endanger my life."
Bai Pu said, "However, as your specimen, I should have the right to know—can I ask a question?"
"Of course you can, Dior. To me, you're not just an experimental subject... because I like men who are smarter than me." Qin replied with a bright smile.
"This is the reward for our last collaboration, an alchemy potion crafted with my blood."
Bai Pu turned his palm over, revealing a vial of [Blood of Aggravation].
"Is there a problem?" Qin blinked.
"If I inject this potion into someone other than myself, they might become my slave. I want to know the principle behind it." Bai Pu said.
"Oh, this touches on the great secrets of this world. To answer this question clearly would take a long time." Qin said with a smile.
"It's okay, I have plenty of time to listen to the story." Bai Pu was calm, as there were still more than ten hours before the Poison Thorn Squad would enter.
"Actually, decades ago, this world didn't possess Extraordinary Power, there was no Blood Fighting Qi, no Blood Magic. With the progress of science and the continuous improvement of technology, the once-knight class was gradually declining, and gunpowder weapons began to prevail..."
Qin stood up, pacing slowly as she continued:
"Until the cursed meteor fell on Scania, and Extraordinary Power appeared.
"Initially, it was just rumors in the Scania Region, saying that where the meteor had descended, warriors who could match a thousand appeared, along with roaming Dead Plagues.
"At this time, no one realized that within the meteor, there existed a mystical substance! This substance contained the power of evolution, enabling people to evolve and become strong.
"Originally, this was God's gospel, but unfortunately, the mystical substance has very strict requirements on the host's constitution.
"Those whose constitutions don't match would be deeply affected by the evolutionary instinct, causing their bodies to deform, turning into mindless creatures—Dead Plagues, knowing only the instinct to evolve, chasing after flesh.
"Those whose constitutions do match not only will they not be disturbed by the evolutionary instinct, but will also adapt to the power of the mystical substance, developing Blood Fighting Qi and Blood Magic, possessing power far beyond ordinary people—for example, our Duke, Lord Frederick William. Such people are called 'Qualified.'
"There are too few Qualified, the vast majority of infected humans turned into Dead Plagues. This is also why the meteor is called the 'cursed meteor,' and the influence of the mystical substance is referred to as 'Curse Power.'
"Ten years ago, Princess Christina passed through Scania and touched the cursed meteor, becoming the ultimate host of the mystical substance. Since then, her breath merged with the sky's clouds, her blood and tears merged with the earth's rivers... Curse Power thus spread, now deeply hidden in everyone's blood.
Bai Pu recalled the Blood Ring Heavy Hammer Warriors, whose bodies emitted a blood-red glow when activating their Skills, then asked: "The elite soldiers of the Blood Ring Fortress, are they all Qualified? Do they all use Blood Fighting Qi?"
Qin shook her head and said, "Those Blood Ring Elite Soldiers are actually mass-produced by the King of Sweden—who is now the Blood Ring Emperor—Gustav II through 'Flesh and Blood Alchemy.'
Bai Pu repeated: "Flesh and Blood Alchemy?"
Qin explained: "As mentioned before, the curse causes Dead Plagues to crave flesh, this is actually to absorb external energy for evolution, equivalent to an evolutionary instinct!
"At the beginning of the curse's spread, some Alchemists were unwilling to see their loved ones turn into Dead Plagues. They began research on how to extract the blood of the Qualified to make Alchemy Potions that suppress evolutionary instincts!
"Their research failed, and the loved ones who ingested the Alchemy Potions turned into even more terrifying Mutants than Dead Plagues! They possessed power comparable to the Qualified and regained cognitive abilities, but lost memory and humanity, like Dead Plagues, they pursued the flesh of the living.
"The famous 'Duke of Bergen,' 'Blood Mist Butcher,' 'Crimson Wings'... these strongest Mutants, are all the failed products of the first generation of Alchemy Potions.
"This is the origin of Flesh and Blood Alchemy, this emerging discipline."
Flesh and Blood Alchemy!
Bai Pu listened with great interest, delving deeper into the background of the Flesh and Blood Plague: Origin Plane.
Qin continued her story:
"After the emergence of Flesh and Blood Alchemy, many scholars joined in, I am one of them.
"Until the representative figure of the first generation Mutants, the 'Duke of Bergen' used Blood Magic to extract the entire Bergen City, causing the Blood Pool Massacre, only then did the panicked King and Lords truly face the threat of the Mutants, banning research on Flesh and Blood Alchemy.
"The only exception was Princess Christina's father—Gustav II. Not only did he not ban research, but he also recruited a large number of scholars to Chukrona Castle, to conduct a diagnosis on the ultimate host of the mystical substance—Princess Christina.
"At that time, I thought he was trying to save his daughter. But unexpectedly, Gustav II was researching methods to control Mutants to satisfy his ambition to conquer the world!
"Later he succeeded. Chukrona Castle was renamed Blood Ring Fortress, and the Blood Ring Mutant Legion marched west, conquering Denmark with one battle! Gustav soon controlled the Scandinavian Peninsula, conquered the Slavs' territories, and crowned himself Emperor.
"After the Blood Ring Fortress took control of Northern Europe, the invasion didn't stop. As you can see, they have now crossed the Baltic Sea, advancing towards Brandonburg."
"I understand everything you said, it is indeed the great secret of this world. It seems that my blood can control others based on the same principle that the Blood Ring Fortress uses to control those Mutants... After all, the mystical substance within me and the mystical substance within Princess Christina comes from the same source." Bai Pu said.
"That's why I like smart men."
Qin smiled and said, "The principle by which the Blood Ring Fortress controls Mutants is simple; it uses Christina as the 'Mother' to rewrite evolutionary instincts into Magic Curse Seals that obey orders!
"If you can master the mystical substance within your body, then without needing a Magic Curse Seal, you can control Mutants influenced by you. That bottle of Alchemy Potion merely brings forward your future abilities."
Bai Pu felt a surge of excitement. Although he has not yet awakened, the potential of the Evolutionary Source Blood is beginning to show its splendor.
The two abilities currently revealed are: the ability to adapt to external damage, and the ability to create Mutant slaves, both of which are powerful abilities that many Awakened envy!
Bai Pu increasingly looked forward to his awakening.
"As a friend, I must remind you of one thing. The enemies that the Alchemy Potion can control can't be stronger than you." Qin said.
Bai Pu nodded indicating his understanding, as the Spirit Realm Will's item explanation also mentioned "subject to strength verification," if the opponent fails this verification, they would become Bai Pu's slave; if they pass, they naturally resist the potion's effect.
Bai Pu checked the Spirit Realm rules' warning once more, as the countdown showed there were still 12 hours and 33 minutes before the Poison Thorn Squad's arrival to the current plane.
"There's one more thing I want to know..."